Study Purpose:

To compare the prevalence and severity of symptoms and symptom clusters in patients with breast cancer who participated in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to the symptoms and symptom clusters in patients who received usual care.

Intervention Characteristics/Basic Study Process:

Women who expressed interest in participating in the study were randomly assigned to MBSR or usual care. The MBSR program lasted six weeks and included educational material, meditation practice in weekly group settings and homework, group discussion on barriers to meditation, application of mindfulness in daily life, and group support interactions. Meditation training consisted of sitting and walking meditation, body scan, and gentle Hatha yoga. Researchers obtained study measures at baseline and within two weeks of program conclusion. Hierarchical-cluster analysis was used to identify symptom clusters. Researchers compared each group's symptom clusters and individual symptoms to those of the other group.

Sample Characteristics:

In total, 84 participants (100% female) were included.

Mean patient age was 58 years (standard deviation = 9.4 years).

Median time since diagnosis of breast cancer was 11 to 15 weeks.

Setting:

Single site

Outpatient

Florida

Study Design:

This was a randomized, controlled trial.

Measurement Instruments/Methods:

MD Anderson Symptom Inventory

Results:

Severity of symptoms declined in both groups from baseline to the end of the study. Fatigue and drowsiness declined more in the MBSR group (p = 0.05). Interference scores for mood and relationships also declined more in the MBSR group (p ≤ 0.05). Analysis of changes in symptom clusters showed no differences between groups. Clusters identified were gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, anorexia, shortness of breath, dry mouth, numbness), cognitive or psychological (distress, sadness, pain, remembering), and fatigue (fatigue, disturbed sleep, drowsiness). Cluster scores declined in both groups.

Conclusions:

Findings suggested that MBSR interventions may benefit women with breast cancer who are managing fatigue or mood.

Limitations:

The study had a small sample size, with less than 100 participants.

Baseline sample/group differences were of import.

The study had risks of bias due to no blinding and no appropriate attentional control condition.

The control group included significantly more black patients than did the MBSR group. Ethnic and cultural differences could impact the findings.

The study did not state whether any patients were receiving antitumor treatment or if any patients had undergone surgery.

The gastrointestinal cluster did not make clinical sense as a cluster.

Enrollment occurred by means of patient self-selection.

Symptom severity scores at baseline were low in all patients (less than 4 on a 10-point scale).

Nursing Implications:

Findings suggested that MBSR may be helpful, to some patients with breast cancer, as a means of combating fatigue and mood changes. Study limitations limited the strength of these findings.